Haven categories not in the “Haven”

[jdro]

Hi, we are considering booking in the Haven but wanted everyone’s perspective in staying in a category that’s not in the “Haven” forward or aft penthouses etc, did you feel “left out” or miss anything, any help would be appreciated.

 

Thanks!!

 

Jennifer

[wolft927]

We stayed in the forward facing Penthouse in the Breakaway in December. The cabin in absolutely amazing as well as huge,. Short elevator ride to the Haven. If you are bidding the forward facing penthouse is usually a low minimum, (we bid 800 PP and won). If you have any questions about the suite let me know 

[oteixeira]

I know lots of folks say that you "have to stay" in the haven proper to get the experience.  That is not my experience with it.  I use the Haven for the ability to get away from a full lido deck, to enjoy the food, the lounge, etc.  but I don't spend all my time there.  I also like to walk, and enjoy the extra walking so that is a big factor to consider.  If you want to just stay in the haven and NOT see the rest of the ship, then it is perfect to stay in a haven proper room.  Otherwise, I don't feel it is that big a deal (and again, this is just MHO).

 

🙂

Your nautical miles may vary.

[jdro]

Thank you, that’s what I was thinking, we are going in the end of March and am considering just upgrading now, we do like the ship, the shows, bars, entertainment  etc but with Covid just trying to minimize our chances, but that could be a false sense of security…

[BEACHBARB]

We've stayed in a forward facing and twice in aft.  Both were wonderful.  A bit of a walk to elevators but great rooms.  We're book in a 2 bedroom in the Haven area in 2 weeks so then we'll have tried them all. Love the huge aft balcony.  Actually left beach in Aruba because the balcony was more desirable.

[icedearth15324]

I did a forward-facing penthouse in december, and we did not feel like we missed out by not being directly in the haven. For the price we paid for our upgrade, it was totally worth it.

[rnfulk]

I just sailed the Encore in a forward facing penthouse. The room was gorgeous, but it did feel like a bit of a hike to get to the Haven proper. I still think I would choose the fantastic room over being in the Haven compound, but there were times we wished we were closer.

- changing from swimwear to lunch/dinner attire was a lot of effort to end up practically in the same space 

- would have been nice to be close to the bar or lounge when we wanted snacks or drinks 

 

Those two things aren't worth $1K+ to me yet. Maybe one day....

[aubreyc1988]

I haven't sailed in the Haven yet, but originally booked a Fwd Facing Penthouse. Whenever prices went down, I was able to pay 117.00 total to upgrade to a Haven Courtyard Penthouse with Large Balcony. The room is smaller than the fwd facing penthouse, but I thought it was worth 117.00 to be in the Courtyard, especially since it is just me and my husband! I guess we shall see!  I have heard people swear by being in the courtyard and others saying it doesn't matter, so I think it's highly personal preference. 

[Karaboudjan]

21 minutes ago, aubreyc1988 said:

I haven't sailed in the Haven yet, but originally booked a Fwd Facing Penthouse. Whenever prices went down, I was able to pay 117.00 total to upgrade to a Haven Courtyard Penthouse with Large Balcony. The room is smaller than the fwd facing penthouse, but I thought it was worth 117.00 to be in the Courtyard, especially since it is just me and my husband! I guess we shall see!  I have heard people swear by being in the courtyard and others saying it doesn't matter, so I think it's highly personal preference. 

 

My feeling is that being able to eat a meal from any restaurant in the room might be the best perk going right now, so room location would be secondary for me.

[aubreyc1988]

4 minutes ago, Karaboudjan said:

 

My feeling is that being able to eat a meal from any restaurant in the room might be the best perk going right now, so room location would be secondary for me.

the main reason why I switched was the fwd facing balcony seemed BLAH to me, AND in normal-times, the Haven Fwd Facing tends to always be cheaper than the Courtyard rooms so I figure I'll experience non Courtyard down the road, best to do Courtyard while it's in my pricerange. 

[Karaboudjan]

11 minutes ago, aubreyc1988 said:

the main reason why I switched was the fwd facing balcony seemed BLAH to me, AND in normal-times, the Haven Fwd Facing tends to always be cheaper than the Courtyard rooms so I figure I'll experience non Courtyard down the road, best to do Courtyard while it's in my pricerange. 

Funny...  I would have put it the other way around.  The courtyard penthouse seems more BLAH to me since the layout is more or less just an expanded regular balcony.  The forward-facing is very different, at least on the Escape which is what I am looking at.  That said, I am going the upgrade route and putting money on both.

[BirdTravels]

4 hours ago, jdro said:

Hi, we are considering booking in the Haven but wanted everyone’s perspective in staying in a category that’s not in the “Haven” forward or aft penthouses etc, did you feel “left out” or miss anything, any help would be appreciated.

 

Thanks!!

 

Jennifer

We personally prefer the forward facing haven rooms for the additional space and lower cost. The normal penthouse rooms are small for a premium price in the haven complex. 
 

On most big ships, 1/3 to 1/2 of the “Haven” rooms are not in the haven complex. Forward facing, aft facing, spa rooms, and some General penthouse rooms. 
 

I have to leave my room and walk to the restaurant or pool or lounge regardless of where my room is. Just a few extra minute walk if we are not in the haven complex. 

[aubreyc1988]

1 hour ago, Karaboudjan said:

Funny...  I would have put it the other way around.  The courtyard penthouse seems more BLAH to me since the layout is more or less just an expanded regular balcony.  The forward-facing is very different, at least on the Escape which is what I am looking at.  That said, I am going the upgrade route and putting money on both.

I looked in Sept 2022 and the cost difference between Courtyard vs non courtyard was STARK lol...I was more thinking that i would NEVER pay that much to be in the Courtyard, so the 100.00 they wanted for this Jan sailing to be in the Courtyard is my only chance to experience it LOL 

[Shayhooper]

We did an Aft Penthouse on the Escape a few weeks ago and honestly I'm not sure that we will ever stay in anything different.  We timed how long it took us to get to the Haven, including elevator time, and it was a grand total of 4 minutes.  We still used the Haven pool, ate about half our meals at the Haven restaurant, and used the concierge for priority disembarkment.   The ONLY thing we didn't utilize well was Haven bar but that was more because the kids club wasn't open for our 12 year old so we didn't get much kid free time for adult drinking.

[JGmf]

Have stayed in aft, forward-facing, and courtyard.  That's pretty much, in that order, my preference.  The courtyard is smaller; has less exciting balcony views; and, equally important, it's nice to come and go out of the Haven if nothing else to see different people and get the exercise.

[ryanpatricksmom]

I just did my upgrade bids for the Joy and the Penthouse Suite that they identified as not in the Haven specifically said that it did not include access to the Haven or the amenities, which seemed weird.  I have stayed in suites outside of the Haven area before but still had access to the lounge, restaurant, pool, etc.  The walk to get there in those cases was no big deal, but having never sailed the Joy, I was afraid that this is some new category that I'm unfamiliar with, or maybe it only applies to this upgrade opportunity.  I am aware of the Family Suites that don't give access to the Haven which they also have available, so passed on those.  I normally don't care one way or the other but under the current conditions (especially not being able to book shows ahead) the Haven has greater appeal than ever.

Edited January 10, 2022 by ryanpatricksmom
spelling error

[complawyer]

as long as you book a "haven suite" you miss nothing.you get the same perks and goodies as if you were in the actual complex. you have access to the bar, restaurant, pool sundeck and whatever else you are entitled to.  go ahead and book whichever haven cabin you wish.

 

one caveat  however. on some ships that have both a haven and a suite category, but not a haven bar or restuarant, ie the jade and the dawn   the suite perks are the same, but the rate is slightly lower. on these ships, the only additional perk is the courtyard pool and sundeck.the cabins are almost identical, still get the butler, concierge and private dining.

 

when given the choice, although i love the haven, paying the extra for the pool area, seems like a major waste of $$$.

 

in any event, pick your poison and have a great cruise

[Two Wheels Only]

3 hours ago, ryanpatricksmom said:

I just did my upgrade bids for the Joy and the Penthouse Suite that they identified as not in the Haven specifically said that it did not include access to the Haven or the amenities, which seemed weird.

 

Joy has category SC (Penthouse Suite with Balcony) which does not include Haven access as well as category HI (The Haven Penthouse Suite with Balcony) which does include Haven access. There is also category HJ (The Haven Suite with Balcony) which includes Haven access. 

 

3 hours ago, ryanpatricksmom said:

The walk to get there in those cases was no big deal, but having never sailed the Joy, I was afraid that this is some new category that I'm unfamiliar with, or maybe it only applies to this upgrade opportunity.

 

On Joy, certain Concierge category suites (no Haven access) were converted to Haven suites and given new names/alphanumeric codes. Bidders should double check so that they know what to expect if they win.  

[vacation44]

3 hours ago, ryanpatricksmom said:

I just did my upgrade bids for the Joy and the Penthouse Suite that they identified as not in the Haven specifically said that it did not include access to the Haven or the amenities, which seemed weird.  I have stayed in suites outside of the Haven area before but still had access to the lounge, restaurant, pool, etc.  The walk to get there in those cases was no big deal, but having never sailed the Joy, I was afraid that this is some new category that I'm unfamiliar with, or maybe it only applies to this upgrade opportunity.  I am aware of the Family Suites that don't give access to the Haven which they also have available, so passed on those.  I normally don't care one way or the other but under the current conditions (especially not being able to book shows ahead) the Haven has greater appeal than ever.

The Joy has an additional class of cabins labeled suites that are not part of any Haven  experience.   However, up until a month or so ago, they did include extra perks which did include a butler and concierge among others.   

[Keene33]

6 hours ago, aubreyc1988 said:

I haven't sailed in the Haven yet, but originally booked a Fwd Facing Penthouse. Whenever prices went down, I was able to pay 117.00 total to upgrade to a Haven Courtyard Penthouse with Large Balcony. The room is smaller than the fwd facing penthouse, but I thought it was worth 117.00 to be in the Courtyard, especially since it is just me and my husband! I guess we shall see!  I have heard people swear by being in the courtyard and others saying it doesn't matter, so I think it's highly personal preference. 

That's such a good point, a no brainer at that price, and you can always get a more reasonable rate down the road in a non courtyard room.

 

I'm hoping to start with the non courtyard just to experience the Haven and then get to witness all the perks.

 

The price in February is still quite a bit more, unless I wanted a 2 bedroom, but for $117.00 that is awesome.

 

[Keene33]

22 minutes ago, vacation44 said:

The Joy has an additional class of cabins labeled suites that are not part of any Haven  experience.   However, up until a month or so ago, they did include extra perks which did include a butler and concierge among others.   

I was confused by this initially, there was not a lot of information on what was included, and come to find out the penthouse suite had a butler and all the other services except access to the Haven.

 

My goal was to have a nicer room and the other perks would have been appreciated but no golden ticket.

[aubreyc1988]

35 minutes ago, Thain said:

That's such a good point, a no brainer at that price, and you can always get a more reasonable rate down the road in a non courtyard room.

 

I'm hoping to start with the non courtyard just to experience the Haven and then get to witness all the perks.

 

The price in February is still quite a bit more, unless I wanted a 2 bedroom, but for $117.00 that is awesome.

 

I think Feb prices will go down closer to sail date...so if you can book last minute, deals tot be had for sure

[vacation44]

45 minutes ago, Thain said:

I was confused by this initially, there was not a lot of information on what was included, and come to find out the penthouse suite had a butler and all the other services except access to the Haven.

 

My goal was to have a nicer room and the other perks would have been appreciated but no golden ticket.

Key word is "had".  For our February cruise we originally booked one of the non Haven Penthouse Suites.  Then I found out from reading these boards, NCL took away the perks except preboarding.  However, they provided no notification and then offered no credit.   Prices have dropped significantly in the last few weeks so we (I as husband has no idea) upgraded ourselves to a Haven .  

[Keene33]

1 hour ago, vacation44 said:

Key word is "had".  For our February cruise we originally booked one of the non Haven Penthouse Suites.  Then I found out from reading these boards, NCL took away the perks except preboarding.  However, they provided no notification and then offered no credit.   Prices have dropped significantly in the last few weeks so we (I as husband has no idea) upgraded ourselves to a Haven .  

Thank you for sharing that information.  I didn't know those other perks had been taken away. 

 

What I'm starting to find out, perhaps someone can correct me, is perhaps I'm much better off in the long run with a travel agent versus a PCC and doing everything on my own.

 

My PCC seemed very nice, was helpful, and then I paid in full and the ability to communicate has become complicated at best.

[Keene33]

1 hour ago, aubreyc1988 said:

I think Feb prices will go down closer to sail date...so if you can book last minute, deals tot be had for sure

That's a good point.  I'll keep on checking on it, by going in and seeing what's there, and see if it's possible.